reporting poll results tonight when those first polls close at 6:00 pm eastern time. then tomorrow morning right here live from washington, d.c., we'll have complete results. among our guests tomorrow, newt gingrich, tennessee congre congresswoman marcia black burn, dick durbin, steve israel, jack markell and many others. continuing coverage on this election day as america goes to the polls. that's up next. >> reporter: if you think people are not enthusiastic to vote this time around, you would be wrong. steady, long lines here in hamilton county, ohio. i'm carol costello, come toug live. >> and i'm suzanne malveaux.

welcome to "cnn newsroom." barack obama and mitt romney have been working toward this moment for months. >> if you can't seem to remember the policies on your own website, then you might have romneysia. >> sparring every step of the way. >> they've been reduced to petty attacks and silly word games. >> we're live across the country, covering the candidates and the final appeals to swing state voters. >> we can't afford to wait four more years. >> the american people are bringing their country back. >> this is cnn's coverage of election day in america, the fight for the presidency. the battle for congress and the issues dividing the nation. >> i still believe in you. and if you still believe in me, i'm asking for your vote. >> i need to you go out there and find people that will come join our cause. >> it's your vote, your future, your country, your choice. today, 90 million americans

will head to the polls. that includes the men on the ballot, republican nominee mitt romney voted minutes nag massachusetts. vice president joe biden did the same. early this morning in delaware. romney's running mate paul ryan votes later this hour in wisconsin. you might remember president obama beat the rush. he cast his ballot a couple weeks ago during a stop over in his hometown of chicago. this hour, polls are already open across much of the country. those states are colored green. you see them there. in yellow, the seven states where voting is getting under way. that is happening right now. there's another view of the nati nation's political landescape. the blue states at least leaning toward obama. the red states likely in romney's hands. the most important states will come in those yellow swing states you see there. in a race that is still too close to call, that is where the election is going to be decided. cnn crews are scattered across the country, bringing you the view from the front lines.

candidate candidates have made their closing arguments. today it is going to be the people who will render the verdict. we want to begin in ohio. that is where we find our own carol costello back in her home state. this is great. we get to share the hour with you here. you're in blue ash outside cincinnati, yes? >> i love election day, suzanne, especially this election day. voters are so enthusiastic. yes, i'm in blue ash, ohio, in hamilton county, traditionally republican county. in 2008 it swung obama's way. republican republicans have people on the ground. they had people out on the ground in force for months and months, trying to change that back to the way it normally s they want a huge republican outpouring of voters this year. maybe they're getting it. we were supposed to talk to the hamilton county board of elections director, but she got stuck because, frankly, things are so busny every polling place in her district. we'll talk to her soon. i want to bring in one of the voters today who was particularly enthusiastic about casting her ballot. come on in, sarah.

thank you so much for being on live television. so you were enthusiastic to vote this year. why? >> absolutely. it's just such a huge election. candidates have done so much. this is such a big area for -- they say it's going to change the vote. >> do you feel you could make the final decision on who could be president? >> i do. i'm very excited about it. >> does this election feel different than years past? >> i think so. i just -- you know, things have changed in the country and i think everybody just wants it for the best and we're all hoping to make the right decision. >> so you have been bombarded by television ads and -- >> it's unbelievable. >> how is your psychological health? >> on the border, actually. >> i could see why. you have voted both democratic and republican in the past. was your mind made up eons ago?

>> it actually was. both candidates, i think they're both great. you have to choose an issue and for that issue i've had that for a long time. it has been made up for a long time. >> you said your issue has been the deficit and you also told me that if the candidates had just poured their money, all the money they used to campaign into fixing our debt problem, that would have been good for you. >> it really would have. i would have really liked to have seen a lot less money spent on this election. >> sarah, thank you very much. >> you're welcome. >> thanks for talking with us. she's a nurse. she has to get back to work. suzanne, i'll throw it back to you. >> a lot of people still off to work today. cnn has the election covered like no other. anchors, reporters, producers in every key battleground state. we'll take the most hotly contested states. ashleigh banfield in miami. hi, ashleigh. >> reporter: hi, suzanne. about 200 people. the people here in front of the line have been waiting about

2 1/2 hours. there were people here at 4:00 in the morning, if you can believe it, suzanne. you can see how the line snakes even farther. i'm only show iing you half of , suzanne. this is about -- it's a little tough to see them in there. we have to stay 100 feet out. show that white line. that white string is to show how far away we need to stay if you are from the media or if you are from any campaigns. you can see all those campaign signs. look at all the things they have been sending out to people in line. the most important thing, though, suzanne, this. this is the sample. it's supposed to show everybody in line how much reading they're going to have to do when they get in there. it is a very long balanlot. it takes at least -- between 10 and 20 minutes to actually do your vote. god luck, everybody. enjoy! there you go.

2 1/2 hours and they're already in now. >> at least they got time in line to peruse that thing. to randi kaye outside woodbridge, virginia. >> reporter: hi, suzanne. it is about a two-hour wait to get your vote cast in the election here. and here in prince william county, suzanne, it is all about the economy, which is actually pretty robust here. 5.2% unemployment, some of the lowest in the country. but not everybody here is happy about how things are going. i talked inside with one government worker. and he said that his bonuses have been frozen. he has two daughters in college and that hurts a lot. of course here in virginia worry watching the marquis senate race for the country. democrat tim kaine and republican george allen, one of the most expensive races in the country, $53 million spent in outside spending. what's interesting, suzanne, the polls close here a little early at 7:00 pm eastern time.

a lot of folks watching this race closely. they say it could be a good indication of how the country is going to go and how this election is going to turn out. suzanne? >> absolutely. a lot of people watching virginia. to ed lavandera in lakewood, colorado. how is it looking out there? >> reporter: suzanne, good morning. it's a beautiful day in colorado. poll polls opened moments ago. you won't see -- very different from the lines you show there in virginia and in florida. you won't see a whole lot of lines here. that's because people can mail in their ballots and they take advantage of that process here in the state of colorado. 1.7 million people have already voted in this state. we are in jefferson county, which is a western suburb of denver. you will hear a lot about this county tonight as the returns start coming in. this is the battleground within the battleground of colorado. in this county you have equal parts republican, democrat and independent swing voters. and that's what the romney and obama campaigns will be looking at very closely when these returns start coming in.

they want to look at the way these independent swing vo voters -- which side they break here. we'll get a good indication when the polls close at 9:00 eastern, because so many people who voted early will get a good indication of which way these swing counties are going. >> elaialina cho is in new york >> reporter: polls have been open in new york for about three hours. i can tell you inside the building behind me, the line is just snaking around the building. hundreds of people have already cast their ballot. i spoke to one woman who said that she is voting for the first time. she came with her mother today. and i spoke to another woman who, interestingly enough, said she came to vote early because later on today she will be volunteering in the rockaways, one of the most hardest hit

areas after hurricane sandy. late yesterday in what was really an extraordinary move, new york's governor, andrew cuomo sign ed an executive orde that essentially said if you are one of those people who lives in a federal disaster zone here in new york, you can vote not just in your district, but in any district in new york. that is significant and unprecedented. the governor said just because you are displaced, suzanne, you should not be disenfranchised. >> strord measures they're making to make sure that those folks get a chance to voes vote. i want to go to david mattingly in bedford, new hampshire. >> reporter: voter turnout, state officials are predicting a very high turnout, possibly 70% of the voting age population today. that could be possibly huge going forward to 7:00 when the polls close. also we're watching that very small number of undecided voters and how they might choose to vote today. the way they swing could swing this perennial swing state in

someone's favor. it will come down to very few votes. we got a small taste of that in dixville notch, new hampshire. what we saw there was history in the making. all ten voters in that town voted, it came out a 5-5 tie. 5 for president obama and 5 for governor romney. possibly a taste of things to come as it's going to be very close here. both sides predicting it could come down to just a couple of thousand votes. suzanne? >> thank you, david. new video now. we want to bring this to you. this is mitt romney. he just voted. this is in belmont, massachusetts. he and his wife, ann, there, as they go forward and present what we assume is their i.d. although i'm pretty sure they all know who they are. but obviously going through the process of voting early this morning. he is actually not going to be done after this event. he will be doing some last-minute stops and

campaigning today. he will head to ohio and pennsylvania after he votes. he wants to try to lock those up. he's not taking any chances today. you can see, there he is with his wife, ann. and they will be casting their ballots. happened moments ago. paul ryan, the v.p. pick, he will be voting soon in jansville, wisconsin, his hometown. and we'll be seeing pictures of that soon as well. the handshakes to the presidential candidate there for republican presidential candidate as well as his wife, both of them working very hard. it has been a grueling campaign. they both look surprisingly refreshed for such an event. but there they are, smiling. they seem quite pleased. we'll have more of this continuous coverage as americans go to vote. up next.

we'rwith questions fromtump sombing elections.kies do you know where your polling place is? maybe somewhere around my house. mine's just, right over that way. well you can find out exactly where it is using bing elections. it's a good day for politics. which way do you lean politically? conservative. republican. well, using the bing news selector you can find news from whichever way you lean. (together) social on this side, financial. which party is currently predicted to win a majority in the senate? the republicans? would you make a bet on that? no. are you chicken?

the white house isn't the only branch of government up for

grabs. so is congressional control. republicans have 47 seats, democrat democrats 51 and two independents. 33 seats are up for grabs tonight. democrats are defending 23 seats. republicans, 10. in order for republicans to gain control of the senate, they need to keep those 10 seats and win four more. all 435 seats in the house are up for re-election. right now, republicans have control with a 242 majority. democrats would node to retain their current 193 seats and add 25 to gain control but that is not likely to happen. want to check back in with carol, live near cincinnati this morning. hey, carol. >> reporter: hi. i'm at a polling stachlths as you can see, the action has died down just a little bit. but this morning around 6:30 eastern time when the polls opened, suzanne, there were literally hundreds of people in line. people are energized this morning. but, of course, the polls won't get busy again until people have left work around 5:00 pm eastern time. franklin graham, one of the best

known eveng el angelical leadere country is well aware of that. he has a message for voters. he says he's warning against the re-election of barack obama. in fact, on bill y graham's website he writes this, this morning. this is a crucial hour for our nation, this could be america's last call to repentance and faith in jesus christ, god's only son, who is coming again one day very soon to save his own and to judge those who don't know and worship him. franklin graham, good morning. >> good morning. god to be with you. >> what you wrote on your website, that's pretty tough. >> well, you know, we do have a very important election this term. and there are moral issues. the president is the one who said that he supports same-sex marriage. god gave marriage, carol, to men and to women.

god made us male and female. for us to say that marriage is something else is going against god. this is a moral issue. and i believe that there will be millions of christians who will go to the polls and vote today. and i hope that they do. if we're allowed to go down this road and the path that the president is wanting us to go down, i think it will be to our peril and the destruction of this nation. the marriage, the family is the cornerstone of this nation. and we just cannot turn our back on god's definition of marriage. tess a big, big issue. i'm not sure that democrats understand that. >> it went so long ago that you viewed mormonism as a cult. it was on billy graham's website. was it that issue that changed your mind about mormonism or did that -- when exactly did that happ happen? >> well, listen, carol, we've got 10,000 pages on our website. and we had some examples of what

a cult were. i didn't know they were there. and when i found out we were calling people names, i told them to take it off. how can i, as an evangelist win anybody to christ if i'm calling them names? i'm not going to call anybody a name. there's a big difference between what the mormons believe, between what catholics and protestants believe. but if we go around calling people names just because they believe differently, we're ma making a big mistake. i took that off the website. we're not going to be calling people names. i want people to know that god so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes shall not pearish but be given everlasting life. he died on the cross for our sins. he was buried, but god raised him to life. your heart, my heart or anybody's heart if you invite him. >> i do want to ask you one more question. your father, billy graham, was known as america's pastor,

recently met with mitt romney. which is unusual for him. usually he doesn't take sides in presidential elections. what's changed? what happened to the separation of church and state? what happened to america's pastor? >> what happened was the democratic convention here in charlotte, north carolina, when the democrats voted to take god off the platform and then try to vote him back into the platform and they didn't want him. my father say registered democrat, been a democrat all of his life. i can tell you, he is so disturbed as where we're going morally in this country. he turns 94 tomorrow. tomorrow is his birthday. he is watching this election with a lot of concern, a lot of interest. he believes we're going the wrong direction morally and felt that as a pastor he has to speak out and warn people as to god's judgment that's coming. >> franklin graham, thank you so much for joining us this morning. we appreciate it. >> thank you. and god bless you. and god bless america.

>> reporter: thank you very much. mitt romney, he has decided to campaign today on election day. he will come to the state of ohio. president obama, he's not campaigning anywhere today. he is just waiting for the results. we'll ask one of the president's men about that decision when we come back.

do i need to tell you how important the state of ohio is to this election? people here certainly know that i'm in hamilton county, ohio, in blue ash, ohio, near cincinnati to be exact. a polling station, steady stream of voters all morning long. in fact, the board of elections director here at hamilton county is shooting for a 73% turnout. woel ta we'll talk to her in just a minute. first, an obama supporter, bill burt, is joining us. bill, are you there? >> hi, carol. how are you? >> thank you for joining us. governor mitt romney will make one more tour of ohio. what do you make of that? >> first, i think it's a mistake. you need every single one of

your people working on to make sure your getting people out toll polls. instead he's pulling people into this rally. i think it's kind of a mistake but also indicative of the fact that he's behind in ohio and probably will lose that state and lose the election today. >> well, of course, he doesn't think so. maybe he thinks he can gain ground by campaigning one last day in the state of ohio. it could be very, very close here. the voters i've talked to in hamilton county think it could be a tie. >> i think there's no doubt it's going to be close. and if democrats don't show up, the president is not going to do as well as he needs to. i don't think that you campaign on election day and take resources away from the single most important thing that you get your staff to do, which is help turn out the vote. elections are about people voting and people showing up at rallies is not voting. >> you did hear what happened in dixville notch, the traditional first voting place in the nation and the candidates tied five for mitt romney, five for barack

obama. of course, in 2008 barack obama won. a bad sign of things to come? >> i'm demanding a recount. we've already sent a team of lawyers to dixville notch and are working hrd to make sure every vote counts. no, i'm not worried. i think the president will win in new hampshire, get a solid victory and popular vote victory. mitt romney had a lot of trouble appealing to middle class voters through this whole election. at the end of the day, middle class voters aren't going to choose mitt romney over president obama. >> of course, as you know, there's been a lot of controversy over provisional balloting here in the state of ohio. how worried are democrats about them? >> well, you know, both campaigns put a lot of resources into making sure that, you know, all the laws are upheld. i know bob bauer over at the campaign is probably doing everything he can with his team of lawyers to make sure that everybody who votes has a vote that is counted. america runs elections every

year right around this time. and i think that this one is going to go just fine, provisional ballots or not. >> i have one here in my hand, bill burton. thank you so much for talking with us this morning. woel talk more about provisional balan balloting with the hamilton county board of elections director. she joins us right after this break. we'll be back. [ woman ] it's 32 minutes to go time, and the candidate's speech is in pieces all over the district. the writer's desktop and the coordinator's phone are working on a joke with local color. the secure cloud just received a revised intro from the strategist's tablet. and while i make my way into the venue, the candidate will be rehearsing off of his phone. [ candidate ] and thanks to every young face i see out there. [ woman ] his phone is one of his biggest supporters.

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as you well know, i'm in hamilton county, in blue ash.

oh, hello, suzanne. i didn't mean to ignore you. >> hi, carol. i'm at the cnn center in atlanta. welcome back to our special edition of "cnn newsroom." 90 million americans will head to the polls, including the two men on the ballot. governor mitt romney voted moments ago in massachusetts. vice president joe biden did the same earlier this morning in delaware. now romney's running mate, paul ryan, votes in a few minutes from now in wisconsin. you might remember, president obama actually beat the rush and cast his ballot a couple of weeks ago at a stop over in his hometown of chicago. this hour, the polls, they are already open across much of the country. the states that are colored green. in yellow, the seven states where voting is getting under way right now. there's another view of the nation's political landscape right here. the blue states at least leaning toward obama. red states likely in romney's hands. the most important votes will come from those yellow swing states. you see them there. this is a race that is too close

to call. that is where the election will be decided. this is a live look at one of the polling places. this is bedford, new hampshire. taking a look at this here. the race too close to call. people waiting patiently as they go to vote. the all-important vote. every vote counts. can't stress it enough. want to go back to you, carol, in your home state there. you're manning the polling stations. how is it looking? >> it's looking busy once again. maybe -- i don't know. people couldn't be on their lunch break just yet. the line suddenly got long. i am in blue ash, ohio, hamilton county, the southwestern part of the state. i do have the hamilton county board of elections director amy searcy with me. give us your prediction. >> actually, we have 70% turnout in 2008. when i saw how many people were interested in getting an absentee ballot, and it was even more than in 2008, i realized that this was going to be a big

turnout. and then when i saw what the nice weather was going to be today, it confirmed it. we've been hearing reports from one end of the county to the other, it's heavy turnout. people are out voting. it's a good day to vote in hamilton county. >> you were shooting for like 73% turnout. >> i am because i'm a glass is half full kind of gal. >> you are? >> i'm still hoping for up to 73%. again, i'm just happy with when i'm seeing here. voters are coming out. they're voting, being processed properly and so far at this point all is well. >> let's talk about the process. i talked to the precinct captain here. he says he feels there's added pressure this year to do everything exactly right. do you hear that from other precinct captains? >> actually, when i'm hearing from our presiding judges and deputy judges, they feel they've been trained better this time than they ever have been before. every year we tweak our poll worker training a little bit more. we learn from the year before. we have spent quite a bit of time this past year improving our poll worker training, making

it more efficient. we really believe these poll workers are well trained and prepared to process these voters today. >> before i let you go, we have to talk about provisional ballots. there's a problem in your registration, you changed your address and didn't record it, many things could make you possibly ineligible to vote. you file this provisional ballot and those are counted later. a lot of democrats are afraid of this because this year instead of a poll worker filling out the information -- or at least some of it, the voter has to fill it out. the fear is that the voter will make a mistake in filling this provisional billion ought out and it will be thrown out. >> the ballot is the regular ballot. it's just the envelope it's put in. the reality is the idea of the provisional ballot envelope is that it allows many different voters who otherwise their votes haven't been counted in past to be counted as long as they're at the correct precinct and they fill out the rather simple questions that are here in this envelope questionnaire,

highlighted. >> you say simple questions but sometimes people get overwhelmed and confused on election day. that's why some democrats say it's better that the poll worker fills it out. they're sure to put the right information down. >> the information has a lot to do with -- it's the voter's information, their name. right here, everything there that the voter -- information, incht d. information. again, poll workers have been trained in how to process voters. voters have time. we have privacy booths in order to fill out whether it be their ballot, their provisional ballot envelope. >> ask, ask, ask questions. >> always ask questions. >> amy searcy, thank you. >> thank you so much. >> we'll take a quick break. we'll be back with much more from hamilton county and beyond. i plugged in snapshot, and 30 days later, i was saving big on car insurance. with snapshot, i knew what i could save before i switched to progressive. the better i drive, the more i save. i wish our company had something this cool. you're not filming this, are you?

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good morning, everyone. i'm carol costello, reporting live to you from hamilton

county, ohio. people are voting in droves here. that's a good thing. that's what america does, what america should do. hamilton county is really important. in 2008 it swung obama's way. this year republicans would like to change that and make it swing back to romney's way, back to the republican way, the way it's traditionally always been. mitt romney chose to campaign on election day in ohio. he's not campaigning here in republican country, but in cleveland ohio and cuyahoga county, which is traditionally democratic country. so, let's talk about that. hilary rosen, cnn contributor, along with erick erickson, another cnn contributor. welcome. >> hello, carol. for mitt romney to win ohio, he needs to win more than the republican districts. he needs to keep down president obama's lead in cuyahoga county. i don't think that's going to be possible, but that's true. i don't -- i would be curious to

know erick's view of this. bill burton made a very important point when he said that the romney campaign is really risking a lot of actual tactical and strategic momentum today in ohio by forcing the campaign to divert its resources to do events instead of getting out the vote. >> you know, i think the way they're actually structuring it, it's not that bad. they're doing small events with the poll reporters, not huge events. they'll be at airports, trying to get local media than they are actually people out from the polls. the president may do satellite hits, but romney going in person. they're going to cuyahoga not because of cuyahoga per se but the surrounding suburban counties and also get some reach over into the western pennsylvania market. they're trying what they can. i suspect their poll is showing what all the other polls are showing, that it's really, really close. everyone at this point seems to be flying blind as to what is

actually happening on the ground. >> hilary, maybe erick has a point because -- i am going to be at ground zero tonight. a lot of voters were disturbed that mitt romney was in chi hoegy county and not hamilton county. most voters i talked to were republican, they really want mitt romney here, hilary. >> look, i think that if they don't have an operation now, by today to get out their solid republican votes in hamilton county, he doesn't have a chance to win. so while it's always nice to see the candidate, what folks who want him to win need to be focused on is turning out the vote. that's why you see such enthusiasm from the obama team, which has really targeted early voting and feel quite confident that romney actually has to make up not just win 51% of the vote

in ohio today, 50.9 but actually 52 to 53% of the vote in ohio today because of the early voting. that's a big hurdle. >> i must say, erick, i just talked to the hamilton county board of elections director. she said turnout in ohio was spectacular so far. >> romney doesn't necessarily need to go where the republicans are, but where the undecideds are. there are probably more undecideds up in the cuyahoga area than the hamilton area. happy birthday to my dad today, through this election day for his birthday. if folks turn out in ohio as they did for romney, maybe my dad will have aa good birthday present coming out of ohio. >> maybe so, erick. hilary rosen, thank you so much for a fascinating conversation. >> have a good day, carol.

reaching out to voters across the country to report any problem problems you witness. as you go to the polls today. ali velshi is taking the tweets and the e-mails. >> carol, as voting has begun, we are getting a lot of issue t at -- pictures from miami-dade. three populous counties where there are long lineups, causing some people who have to go to work to back away from the line. the vote ballot itself is very long in florida. perseverance is the key in florida. then we've got problems with the ohio provisional ballots. that is going to be litigated this morning in court. whether or not the secretary of state, who impose d a second fom

that voters have to fill out if they're using provisional ballots is legal. this, of course, may not affect things today. provisional ballots are not counted until ten days after the election. but if it's close in ohio and ohio is the deciding state, that could delay the results of the election. worry also getting scattered reports of voting machine issues in indiana, virginia, new jersey and new york. there is a sense moem most of these will be worked out. people who went before went to vote, had to go to work. hopefully they'll come back later and vote. we've gotten reports of very busy polling places in virginia, new york and new jersey. issues in new jersey with the electronic voting, the fax or e-mail voting. some people are not able to get the e-mail in or are not getting approved. it takes about an hour. we've talked to some officials there, to get it approved. if you are voting electronically, you have to do it by 5:00 pm today. we are checking on some reports that some members of the military will not get their

ballots on time to be able to submit them. they may be able to submit them but won't be counted in the initial count. a lot of issues will matter more in the close races in florida, virg virginia, pennsylvania and in ohio. and in other places we have reports out of pennsylvania as well with some problems. we'll be following up on it throughout the course of the day. people want to send us information, please, send us information about what you are seeing not articles from other places. tweet me at ali velshi. put #cnnvotewatch or votewatch@cnn.com, can you e-mail us. carol? >> ali, all four candidates from both campaigns have now voted. just now getting in new video. moments ago paul ryan casting his ballot in jansville, wisconsin. later today he will head to ohio and virginia for some campaign stops. you see him shaking some hands there, looking very comfortable, very relaxed. and rather encouraged. we're actually being told these

are live pictures we're looking at here. it looks like he has his kids with him as well. and that he is actually in the process of casting his ballot here. and it looks like he's actually showing his kids how it's done. and it was something that president obama did as well when he was voting back in 2008, showing his kids how to vote because it was such an historic occasion. paul ryan showing his children how he's actually handling it. mitt romney's voted but he is actually not done campaigning just yet. we'll talk to one of his senior advisers about decision day in america as voters choose the next president. up next. [ female announcer ] e-trade was founded on the simple belief that bringing you better technology

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♪ ♪ i wish my patients could see what i see. ♪ that over time, having high cholesterol and any of these risk factors can put them at increased risk for plaque buildup in their arteries. so it's even more important to lower their cholesterol, and that's why,

when diet and exercise alone aren't enough, i prescribe crestor. in a clinical trial versus lipitor, crestor got more high-risk patients' bad cholesterol to a goal of under 100. [ female announcer ] crestor is not right for everyone. like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. tell your doctor about other medicines you're taking. call your doctor right away if you have muscle pain or weakness, feel unusually tired, have loss of appetite, upper belly pain, dark urine or yellowing of skin or eyes. these could be signs of rare but serious side effects. ♪ is your cholesterol at goal? talk to your doctor about crestor. [ female announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. welcome back. i'm carol costello in hamilton county, ohio. blue ash, to be specific. it's a subcurb of cincinnati.

as you can see behind me, people are voting. it's been a steady stream of voters. the board of elections director is shooting for a 73% turnout and she may get it if this is yes indication. i want to welcome former u.s. senator jim talent, a romney supporter, joining us live from boston, massachusetts. good morning, senator. >> good morning to you, carol. >> i hope -- good morning. are you feeling confident? >> yeah, it's hard not to. i have been campaigning for governor romney in iowa, wisconsin, new hampshire, and our group was speaking to packed crowds. his crowds have been so great, and you can tell people want hope for a real recovery and really addressing the nation's problems and i think they see that in governor romney. we know it's close, but it's hard not to be optimistic.

>> so in dixville notch it tied, five for romney, five for obama. what does that say to you, anything? >> well, if voting ends today, i guess it will go to the house of representatives then, won't it? look, it's a sample. we know this is going to be close. we think we have some momentum. governor romney is the guy with the plan to create a real recovery and the alternative is going on the way we are now, and so we think that of that will create a momentum that will produce a favorable result. >> okay. so democrats are saying since governor romney has decided to campaign on the last day and he's decided to campaign in ohio in democratic-rich cuyahoga county, that means mr. romney feels he's in trouble. why did mr. romney decide to campaign on the day of the election? >> actually, i think that's pretty normal. i used to.

you campaign right up to the end because you want to ask the voters -- as many voters as you can for their support. he's enthusiastic. he's feeding off these crowds, so to me that's normal, campaigning on election day. i'm a little surprised the president isn't, but, you know, that's his choice. >> well, in fairness i do think barack obama is doing satellite interviews and he's going maybe to some campaign offices and thanking the volunteers and things like that, but he's not out physically, actively campaigning like governor romney. you know, hilary rosen, i just talked to her, she said this means mr. romney thinks he's in trouble and he cannot think he can win the state of ohio. he's delusional if he thinks he can win. >> well, we'll find out who is delusional tonight. i know the crowds he's been speaking to. i was with him last friday night, 35,000 people outside

cincinnati. we feel pretty good about this. intensity level is high, we're winning independents, but the good news is today we'll get the poll that really matters and we'll see what the american people think and whether they want a change from what we've had the last four years. >> senator talent, thank you so much for being with us this morning. i know you must be exhausted, too. we sure appreciate it. senator talent live from boston, massachusetts. quite a long delay for some reason. we apologize for that, but, of course, he had such interesting things to say, we'll take it. we'll be back with much more, including how the stock market could decide the election. alison kosik will explain. president obama: there's just no quit in america...

and you're seeing that right now. over five million new jobs. exports up forty one percent. home values... rising. our auto industry... back. and our heroes are coming home. we're not there yet, but we've made real progress and the... last thing we should do is turn back now. here's my plan for the next four years:

making education and training a national priority; building on our manufacturing boom; boosting american-made energy; reducing the deficits responsibly by cutting where... we can, and asking the wealthy to pay a little more. and ending the war in afghanistan, so we can... do some nation-building here at home. that's the right path. so read my plan, compare it to governor romney's... and decide which is better for you. it's an honor to be your president... and i'm asking for your vote... so together, we can keep moving america forward. i'm barack obama and i approve this message.

ever hear of the s & p predictor? alison kosik has. shaes at the new york stock exchange to tell us how the s & p predictor has already showsen

the winner of 2012. >> there's one forecasting model that says president obama will win. this is from sam stovall from standard & poor's presidential predictor. this predictor actually has gotten it right 82% of the time. what this forecast wound up doing is looking at elections going back to 1900. what it found is if the s&p 500 rises in the three months before the election, meaning august, september, and october, then the incumbent wins. if the s&p 500 falls, then the challenger wins. the basic thinking behind this is that if the market is doing well, the economy is probably doing well also. so the thinking is keep the same leader. if all that stuff isn't doing well, the thinking is, all right, time to give them the boot. from august, september, and october the s&p 500 rose 2.4% so the thinking is obama would win, but this time it may not be a slam dunk because the gain, the 2.4%, it's not a huge gain. so usually when the incumbent wins, the market is up more than 6%. clearly that's not the case this

time. the market is up only 2.4% during those three months and it was down in october. who knows, this could be a tossup. we may throw the model to the wind. carol? >> maybe so. alison, thanks so much. i'm carol costello reporting live from hamilton county. suzanne malveaux continues our special election coverage. >> right now, it's up to the voters, and america is waiting for the verdict. will it be barack obama? >> we know what we want to do works. we know what they want to do doesn't work. >> or mitt romney? >> he's offering excuses. i've got a plan. >> this presidential contest could be a squeaker until the end end. >> we're going to win with your help. >> we'll win this election. >> we're live across the country in the swing states where this fight has been playing out for months. >> change has become divide and conqu conquer.

>> this is cnn's coverage of election day in america. the fight for the presidency. the battle for congress. and the issues dividing the nation. >> i still believe in you, and if you still believe in me, i'm asking for your vote. >> i need you to go out there and find people that will come join our cause. >> it's your vote, your future, your country, your choice. >> a long, hard fought, and costly presidential campaign comes to an end as voters going to the polls. i'm suzanne malveaux. this is cnn's special coverage of election day here in america. polls opening this hour in five more states, alaska, california, idaho, nevada, and washington. the election will determine whether president obama gets another four years in office or whether mitt romney becomes the nation's 45th president. both candidates spending the final hours of the campaign

hitting crucial battleground states in a mad dash to rev up supporters. today the voters get to have their say. polls have been open about four hours in the battleground state of virginia. they're also open in the swing states of florida, ohio, and colorado. cnn is covering election day like no one else can with reporters in all the key states as well as insight from our political analysts. it is time to vote for the candidates as well, except for president obama, he voted early. just a few moments ago, we saw janesville, wisconsin, republican vp candidate paul ryan casting his ballot there giving out hugs. he also now heads to campaign stops in ohio as well as virginia. mitt romney and his wife, ann, voted today in their massachusetts hometown. you see the pictures there. romney campaigning also today in ohio and pennsylvania. vice president joe biden voted earlier today. that is in delaware. gave an intriguing answer when asked if this was his final vote for himself.

>> any prediction for tonight? >> i'm feeling pretty good. >> last time you're going to vote for yourself do you think? >> no, i don't think so. >> interesting. maybe that's 2016. we'll see. handful of states are going to likely determine who is winning the white house. right now we'll take you to some of the most hotly contested races. want to begin with ashleigh banfield in the battleground state of florida. ashleigh, set the scene. >> reporter: sunny, beautiful, 29 electoral votes, florida. you would think waiting three hours in line to cast your ballot would make you a little bit ornery. instead, i got these guys -- [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: okay. i got to be honest with you, i don't think i have ever seen a ballot line like this. these people are hilarious. they're all new friends because they met at 7:00 a.m. and it's now 10:00 a.m. and there is where they're headed. probably ten minutes away and that is the key issue they're going to have to fill out about

nine pages so they can expect about, i don't know, 10 or 20 minutes inside the polling station, but so far only a few irregularities around florida and certainly nothing huge and certainly a good mood here. >> can't beat that enthusiasm. thank you, ashleigh. i want to go to randy kaye in virginia. virginia another one of the tossup states. how is it looking? >> reporter: we're not seeing the same enthusiasm as ashleigh is finding in florida, but folks have a pretty good attitude. 13 electoral votes up for grabs. they're waiting in line for about two hours. they say it's their duty to vote and they don't mind waiting. here it is all about the economy, which is doing pretty well. 5.2% unemployment here, so pretty robust but not everybody is thrilled about the economy. a lot of folks also not thrilled about health care. i got an earful from a gentleman a short time ago about not wanting to buy something that he doesn't want to buy. doesn't like that mandate. i talked to one government

worker who says that he has two kids in college and he's not thrilled about the direction of the economy. we're also, of course, watching suzanne, the senate race here. it's a marquee race, one of the most expensive in the country. could help tip the balance of power in the senate. the polls close here at 7:00 a.m., early. now, president obama won this county, prince william county, back in 2008. a lot of folks are already saying what happens at 7:00 p.m. once those votes are counted which should be pretty quickly, i'm told, we'll get a pretty good indication of how this night is going to go. >> going to watch really closely. colorado another battleground. ed lavandera in lakewood, colorado. what is it looking like, ed? >> reporter: kind of a different scene here in lakewood, colorado, where many of the people in this state vote early. you can vote by mail here in colorado and a great number of people take advantage of that. the latest numbers from the secretary of state's office here in colorado show that some 1.8 million people have voted erltly and through the mail. so that makes the lines to get

into these polling places on election day a lot easier to navigate. we are in jefferson county, which is a western suburb of denver. you might as well call this the battleground within the battleground of colorado. the obama campaigns and romney campaigns will be looking very closely at how the votes shake out here in this county. many people say as jefferson county votes, so votes colorado. but this is a county made up equal parts republican, democrat, and independent swing voters. that's why the campaigns will be taking a close look at how the independent voters turn out today and we're told here by the elections officials that by around 7:30 mountain time, 9:30 the vast majority of the votes will have been counted. we'll have a good idea of who might be able to win colorado tonight. >> all right. we like those early results. thank you. want to bring in david mattingly in new hampshire. long lines, enthusiasm? what are you seeing so far? >> reporter: suzanne, new hampshire could be the most sharply divided of all the

bround states. way too close to call. the story here today, i just spoke to the secretary of state's office, and this is what we're seeing all over the state. very large turnout here in the granite state. also, notice this table here. these are people who are registering to vote today so that they can vote today. they're allowed to do that here in new hampshire. they don't have any early voting. so this is the day. of course, everyone is going to be watching about what happens inside these polling stations because there's a very small number of undecided voters that have been showing up in the polls. nobody knows how they're going to vote. the way they swing could swing this swing state to one of those candidates. we'll see what happens. >> all right. thank you, david. so with the voting in full swing, as he mentioned, we're tracking all potential problems as well. want to start with new york and new jersey where dozens and dozens of polling stations not even going to be open today. they were badly damaged in last week's storm. ali velshi is joining us from cnn's vote watch desk.

we got a lot of stuff to talk about here. i imagine this is going to go on all day, perhaps well into the night and tomorrow as well. >> yes. >> first of all, how are folks actually monitoring how they get these voters to the polls and then we'll talk about some of the problems. >> we've actually got issues about that, where monitors are allowed to be from the different parties. we're working on a story in philadelphia about that. we'll get you more on that later. ultimately what's happen something people are going to some of the polling stations and some machines are down or in new york they're casting their ballots in polling places that are not their own. the governor of new york said you can go to any polling station in the state and cast your ballot, but you will only be able to vote for president and statewide ballot initiatives or statewide office. you won't be able to cast a ballot for your local races. that's what's happening in new york. we're getting a lot of input from people, tweets, phone calls, and techs from people saying that are very, very long lineups and sadly some people are leaving. that's something we're seeing in

ohio. we're seeing it in virginia, in florida, and the northeast. >> let's talk about florida because i imagine voters are pretty frustrated there. they used to have 14 days before the election to actually vote. governor scott changed that to now eight days. how is it impacting what you're seeing on the zblound. >> for those eight days, there were very long lineups culminating with some people waiting seven or eight hours in line. as soon as voting opened, particularly in the southern counti counties in florida, the highly populated ones that carry a third of the population around miami, palm beach, those areas, we're seeing long lineups this morning. that's causing people to turn away. there are democrats who are saying that is disenfranchising some of their supporters who are working people who need to get to work who can't stand in line for several hours. we saw an appeal by michelle obama late last night to say if you're in a line, stay in the line. we need your votes but there's definitely going to be an argument about that depending on the way that state ends up going and what happens at the end of the day. not just in florida but in other

states when the polling places are about to close, people went after work and they're hours and hours in line to be able to vote. we're keeping a close eye on florida and hoping it will not hold up the results of the presidential election. >> talk about ohio as well. i understand that the role of provisional ballots is very important and it could factor into who wins, but many of the provisional ballots get thrown out. can you explain what happens? >> this is one area of great confusion. what happened is last week the state -- the secretary of state put in a rule that if you vote on a provisional ballot because you got a mail-in ballot and you lost it or you've moved or you're not correctly on the roles, there's a separate form you have to fill out. we've looked at the form. the criticism is the form is too complicated. i think there would have been an easier way to establish identity than using this form but the trick is it used to be the person who worked at the poll would fill out the form. now it's on the voter and if it's not filled out correctly, your ballot won't be counted. these provisional ballots will

not be counted initially and if it's not a close race it won't matter. they get counted ten days later. if ohio is a tight, tight, tight race, this may actually matter, and there are cases under way right now, in fact, there's a hearing under way now, to determine the validity of the decision by the secretary of state on provisional ballots. a lot of people have tweeted saying why are you talking about provisional bat lotllots, they get counted as votes, that's not true. they are votes. >> i want to bring in jeffrey toobin to talk about the way they're counting these provisional ballots. could we see if this is a very, very tight race those provisional ballots actually making a difference and tipping the scale? >> it's entirely possible. four years ago there were more than 200,000 provisional ballots. we expect that there will be at least that many this time. the margin between john mccain and barack obama four years ago was 262,000 votes.

so that shows how many votes are at stake there. now, it is true, as ali pointed out, that not all those votes count. certainly they don't come in all for one candidate. but the peculiar, peculiar aspect of ohio law is that no one starts counting those ballots for ten days, and during those ten days the people who cast those ballots can actually go to the board of elections and sort of make their case, lobby to say that their vote should count, that they have good identification. can you imagine the chaos if all those woould-be voters essentially bring a lawyer to have their vote counted and certainly the campaigns will get involved. it could get very ugly, very complicated, and it's ten days long. >> and jeffrey, we're already seeing both sides lawyering up pretty heavily in some of the swing states. it was back in 2000 i was at west palm beach covering the florida recount in 2000, and you

saw again hanging chads, the butterfly ballots. this is going to be potentially a very, very close race. could we see a repeat of 2000? >> well, certainly you could see recounts. fortunately, the one thing we will not see is butterfly ballots and chads in florida. florida has changed their voting system. they no longer use punch card ballots. they have a better system in place, although every voting system has its problems. every voting system is subject to recounts and you can be sure that if it's just a handful of voters that separate the two candidates in a state whose electoral votes make the difference, we'll be back to the same kind of trench warfare but it won't be exactly the same. no more chads. >> all right. no more hanging chads. that's a relief, but we might be engaged in trench warfare, you're right about that. appreciate it. cnn's special live election coverage beginning tonight at 6:00 eastern. the two men seeking the oval office make their final push to

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as millions of americans going to the polls campaigns are still making their final arguments. overnight president obama was greeted by first lady michelle obama at his final stop in iowa after stumping in several battleground states. mitt romney was in four battleground states including virginia hoping to capture its 13 electoral votes, very important. romney even added two events today, one in ohio and one in pennsylvania. experts here to make their final closing arguments. republican mary madeline, deputy campaign manager for president

george h.w. bush's re-election campaign and democrat donna brazile, al gore's campaign manage. donna, i want to start with you here. so many millions of americans, they've already voted on either side. can either one of these candidates really make an impact today? >> absolutely. look, i know we've banked a lot of early votes, and that's the whole objective so that there's less confusion in terms of the number of people who are going to be standing in line today and i just want to say something as somebody who understands getting out the vote. if you're in line before the polls close, the law stipulates that you have the right to vote. it may take time, but, remember, it's important that you have the right to vote. also want to urge everyone to bring the proper form of i.d., even if you have to bring a utility bill, bring a utility bill to establish your residency, bring your photo identification, bring your voter registration card and bring something fun to do while you stand in line. mary and i would bring something

cold, of course, or something warm also, but remember this is a day that we celebrate our democracy, and that is the lifeblood of our democracy, voting is. so i urge everybody, please get out there and vote. it can make a difference. >> mary, donna is still giving tips here. i guess we're going to want your tips as well. we don't have to serve beverages, it's okay, but explain to us romney's decision to campaign again today in ohio and pennsylvania. there are some people who look at that and think maybe it's an act of desperation, others who are thinking this is good politics. >> yes, it is. it's bringing home states that should not even be in play for the governor. this is -- donna and i have done eight or nine or ten, we've lost track. there are only two things you can do on election day. you can continue campaigning, i have never not campaigned, or you can drink heavily, which is also something donna and i have done on election day. so what are you going to do? sit around and -- i think going

to iowa, going to pennsylvania, i'm going to predict the governor is going to win both of those states. they have significant populations of catholics. he's getting suburban and married women. he's getting independents there. those states are ones that president obama won last time around. they should not be in play. i'm proud of the governor for taking it to the finish line. >> all right. >> hail mary, hail mary, that's a hail mary. >> we will wait until the decision has been made before the drinks are flowing. how is that? we'll agree -- >> we're just talking about hydrating. this is water. we've got to keep ourselves hydrated. >> let's talk about the tone from the candidates we saw last night. the president pretty emotional on the stump speech and then you saw mitt romney really kind of -- still in kind of fighting mode here. i want you to watch. >> talk is cheap, but a record is real and it's earned. change can't be measured in speeches. it's measured in results. >> i've come back to iowa one more time to ask for your vote.

i came back to ask you to help us finish what we've started because this is where our movement for change began. >> all right. to you, donna, i want to bring this up here because it does seem like folks look at this as a historic occasion that perhaps not as historic as 2008 but you had reverend jesse jackson saying if president obama were to lose, it would be like turning back the clock on all the gains of the civil rights movement, martin luther king's dream. is it laid with that much symbolism? >> four years ago we made history. the united states of america made history in electing the first biracial president ever in the history of the united states, and it was a very, you know, occasion that many of us were emotional. but today we can make a difference, and this is where i believe getting out the vote matters because we can make a difference in the kind of health

care policies we want, the kind of job creation policies we want, tax policies, environmental policies, especially with all of this talk about climate change. this is a day that we can say to our troops in afghanistan, you're coming home soon. we're going to leave -- we're going to bring you back home. so, yes, this is the year we make a difference. we made history in 2008. let's go out there today and make a difference over the next four years. >> we are learning, donna, that the president is going to make an unscheduled stop in one of his field offices in chicago obviously to thank the volunteers there and to show his support. mary, i do want to ask you about one thing here, it's come up several times. it really is about how this country is changing demographically, racially, and with the obama campaign, there's a coalition there that you have of women, of hispanics, of young voters, and we heard this from south carolina's republican senator lindsay graham. he says the demographics race we are losing badly. we're not generating enough angry white guys to stay in

business for the long term. is there a problem in the republican party? does your party need to do more to bring in a diverse group of americans if that coalition in that party is going to last? >> the only angry white men i know are liberals. conservatives are for all americans. >> you're married to one. >> there you go. they're not for hyphenating americans or dividing americans. we think women and hispanics and african-americans have suffered particularly under this nonrecovery, the worst recovery in history and that women and hispanics and african-americans and all americans want an opportunity to have some upward mobility. >> is there more the party needs to do to outreach to those folks because it seems it's becoming more and more monolithic. >> the presumption that -- speaking of martin luther king, dr. king, that you would divide people up by race, gender, or class is distinctly un-american. it's insulting. i think what jesse jackson said

was race is divisive and dark and i would hope -- would have hoped that the election of the first minority president in a western democracy would have shown that americans are past it but i guess not for reverend jackson. >> we've got to leave it there. mary and donna, we'll all be up real late, so save your energy, save your drinks for later, and we'll see how it all shakes out. thanks again. >> keep hope alive, mary. keep hope allivalive. >> mitt romney hasn't talked much about his faith, but if he wins, he will be the first mormon in the white house. we're looking at more of the history that could be made in this presidential race. you see us, at the start of the day. on the company phone list that's a few names longer. you see us bank on busier highways.

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today's election destined to be one for the history books no matter the outcome, the nation's first african-americans president wins re-election or ends his term. we're looking at historic divisions now in our country.

we're talking about party divisions, talking about the racial divide, the gender split. joining us to talk about this, douglas brinkley and david gergen. let's fast forward ten years, what do you think we will remember about this election night? >> i think for 2012 people are going to be astounded at the billions of dollars that just went into this election. how terminal it seemed. and then, of course, the barack obama's missed opportunity in denver that first debate and how hurricane sandy seemed to give a little lift to the president ironically as the october surprise. as for this election night itself, it seems to me it's going to be a repeat of 2000 and 2004, down to the wire, very close, and all about a handful of swing states, florida and ohio are going to be in the news a lot tonight, just like they were in those two previous

elections. >> we've got a lot to look forward to tonight. david, let's talk about the divisions in the country right now because you got a lot of them. we're talking about the gender gap. the latest poll showing 53% of women say they plan to vote for the president compared to 44% of men. that's a nine-point gender gap, the largest since '96. also racial and economic divisions as well. romney leading along white voters making more than $50,000, the president leading among voters making less than 50 grand. what do you think this says about the road ahead? whoever wins the white house, that you have such a divided country? >> i'm worried that it says we've become a fragmented country, not only divided but gragmented, we have a white/black division, all sorts of divisions. i think the real question history will pose is whether this election resolved anything or not, whether we were able

to -- whether coming out of this election we were able to break the deadlock in washington to end the dysfunctionality and actually move toward a more productive politics. obviously, this election could resolve what road we take. do we take a road for a toward liberal state, caring and providing a big safety net but is more expensive or a leaner government with more emphasis on the private side. we don't know those answers because we don't know who is going to win. i think this fragmentation is a serious threat to the country. we have to move or politics beyond that. it's important both parties be inclusive. i think this kind of divide, you know, is an unhealthy divide. >> it's an important issue, whether either one of those men is going to effectively govern in this country. douglas, i want to go back to you to show how tight we think this race is. we're looking at a dead heat

tied at 49%. putting it into perspective for us of some other close races we have seen, kennedy winning the popular vote over nixon by 0.017 of a point and bush slr gore race ending before the supreme court. how does this compare to what we've seen in the past? >> we'll see, but, you know, remember, let's just say bush versus gore, a lot of democrats, because al gore won the popular vote, didn't take george w. bush seriously. they wouldn't accept him as their president. if that happens tonight where you have, you know, barack obama winning the electoral vote but mitt romney winning the popular vote, it's only going to make the right angrier about barack obama as being an illegitimate president of some kind. as david so artfully said, we're hurting ourselves here right now and we're dividing ourselves. we're not operating as one. what does that say for '13? i think whoever is the next president will have to use executive power. i'm not sure we can turn to congress right now to do big and

bold things. they are going to have to find an open, a way to do things. thomas jefferson sold the louisiana purchase on national security grounds and kennedy sold the big space program on the idea of beating the soviets. we need a unifying factor a president could provide in a second term. it would be interesting to see if either romney or obama can do that. if mitt romney is elected, he has $2 trillion loose dollars he's saying he's going to spend on the military but has never said where that money is coming from and how he's going to use it. it will be interesting to see if that's his version of infrastructure, keynesian infrastructure via military spending that republicans will vote for, and if barack obama gets in, he's going to have to fight hard to hold onto obama care, his signature legislative achievement, affordable care act which is also important for his legacy. >> we're going to have to leave it there. douglas and we always appreciate david gergen, appreciate you, as well and your perspectives and how these two men govern going

to be very important and whether or not they can even build and keep a coalition together at this time of division. thank you very much. appreciate it. we've got some new pictures in we want to show you here. this is the president, it's in chicago, and he's at this field office. it's an unannounced stop he made in chicago. he's there on the phone. obviously there to thank the volunteers, the hard workers in his hometown. it all started there and he is picking up the phone making those important calls and the last-minute calls as you can imagine trying to get out the vote. history being made today in many places across the country. voters in hawaii could send the first asian american woman to the hill to serve in the u.s. senate. that is if democratic congresswoman may i did hirono beats linda lingle. polls are set to open at noon eastern time. odds favor hirono for two key reasons. hawaii big democratic state and

it's most famous native son just happens to be the president. cnn has now partnered with facebook to create this new app called i'm voting. just go to my facebook page, click on the i'm voting app. so today's question, when do you think we will know who won? let us know what you think. we're going to share some of your responses in the next hour. and a lot of folks think the road to victory tonight running through iowa, of course. going -- ohio, that is rather. going to take you live where the votes are already rolling in.

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for a superior clean. oral-b power brushes. go to oralb.com for the latest offers. and the candidate's speech is in pieces all over the district. the writer's desktop and the coordinator's phone are working on a joke with local color. the secure cloud just received a revised intro from the strategist's tablet. and while i make my way into the venue, the candidate will be rehearsing off of his phone. [ candidate ] and thanks to every young face i see out there. [ woman ] his phone is one of his biggest supporters. [ female announcer ] with cisco at the center... working together has never worked so well. some still pictures in of the president making an unannounced stop in chicago, illinois. hyde park area at one of the field offices of his campaign. we are told that the president did give brief remarks after

this picture was taken and he says, we're going to be pulling the tape soon, he says he's grateful to all those who have worked so hard on behalf of the campaign. he says thank you to the american people. he says it's a source of great optimism to come on election day because he ends up having confidence in the decency and goodness of the american people. he also gives congratulations to governor romney on what he's calling a spirited campaign and says that he knows that his supporters, romney's supporters, are just as engaged. the press goes on to say he feels confident we've got the votes to win and that he encourages everyone on both sides to exercise their right to vote. as soon as we get that tape we will turn it for you. the president making brief remarks at a campaign field office out of chicago. ohio is a crucial -- critical battleground state in the election as well. romney has two campaign stops later today. one is going to be in ohio. the other in pennsylvania. as for ohio, the columbus

dispatch reports the candidates have made a combined 83 visits to the state, the 84th happening in an hour. that's when mitt romney will be arriving. why all the fuss over ohio? the state's 18 electoral votes, the second biggest swing state prize behind florida. no republican has ever won the presidency without ohio. carol costello joining us from ohio. blue ash, as a matter of fact. carol, that's the big wind up there for you. it's also your hometown, right in this in? this is your home state. >> it is my home state and believe me, we're always, always proud that we usually get the deciding factor in the presidential legeelection. and people certainly feel that way in hamilton county. in blue ash, a suburb of cincinnati, this is traditionally republican country, but in 2008 president obama won hamilton county so the democrats here are hopeful he can pull it out again. the republicans not so much. in fact, they're kind of miffed

mitt romney has chosen to campaign in ohio in cuyahoga county instead of here in republican reason rich hamilton county. i just talked to the hamilton county board of elections director. she expects a great turnout. in fact, she says the turnout has been spectacular so far. in 2008 it was 70%. she expects it to be more than 70%. she's shooting for 73% but then she says she's a glass half full kind of person. i talked to many voters standing in line early this morning at 6:30 a.m. eastern time when the polls opened. the lines were very long. people were excited to vote. one woman said she could not sleep all night long. she tried early voting over the weekend and the lines were too long. she gave up. so she woke up every hour on the hour last night thinking she would miss her chance to vote. she was at least -- i think she was the third person in line, and she did cast her ballot. she said she felt this election was more important than

elections past because it was important for people to get involved so we can take care of this massive debt we're currently under. >> carol, your mom is still there, too, right? she's voting in the state as well? >> reporter: my mother lives in northeastern ohio in stark county. of course, stark county decides it all as you know. i am sure, i am positive my mother has already cast her ballot and, yes, her mind was made up months and months ago. in fact, she told me the other day, i can't believe there's such a thing as an undecided voter. if somebody hasn't decided as of today, there's something wrong with them, suzanne. >> we were kind of wondering who those undecided vote he is were, too, carol. best to you and your mom. we'll back back to you in a little bit. whether mitt romney or the president wins the presidency, there's still congress to consider with several senators and representatives retiring, there's a fight for power on capitol hill. up next. [ male announcer ] break the grip of aches or arthritis pain

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it's election day. not just for the white house. you see live pictures there but also the balance of power is at stake. the senate is where we find some of the more higher profile battles, the ones that could change the balance in washington. our dana bash has more on the landscape in the key races we'll be keeping a close eye on tonight. >> suzanne, when you talk about the balance of power and what's at stake in the senate, the first thing we should do is look at where things stand right now. 47 republican seats, 51 democratic seats plus two independents but 47 is really the key number because it means that republicans need a net gain of four seats in order to take control of the senate. what's at stake? let's take a look. all of these white seats, all of those are up for grabs. 33 races, one-third of the senate is going before the polls

today. many of those are not competitive. we will take those out and keep it to those we're fee cussing on. it's a dozen races we're looking at. republicans need to take many of these blue seats in order to have a chance at retaking the senate. let's look at some of the most interesting races. virginia, living in washington, we see the ads running over and over again. and it's no surprise that this is the most expensive senate race so far. $82 million. it's the democrat tim kaine trying to hold onto this democratic seat. he's trying to figure the seat of retiring senator jim webb. and george allen who was defeated six years ago is trying to get the seat back. it's neck and neck in the polls. one other fascinating race is montana. it's a red stated but there's a democratic senator, jon tester. he's trying to hold onto this seat. republicans with their candidate denny rehberg are trying to take this from him.

$50 million spent in montana, which is a lot of money, about you it hasn't moved the dial at wul. before the race started they were 1% in the polls. now on election day there's a 1% difference between the two of them in the polls. then let's look at the key race for republicans where they're defending their own turf. scott brown in massachusetts. he is the incumbent senator. he's had a run for his money in more ways than one from elizabeth warren, the democrat. privately republicans have said that they just don't think they can hold onto this. they think that democrats are going to come home in the traditionally democratic state of massachusetts. but in the last couple days those polls have tightened up publicly and privately. scott brown certainly pulled off a surprise a few years ago and he could do the same today. these are just three examples but we're going to be watching all of these incredibly dramatic competitive races as the night goes on. >> thanks. thousands of people in new york and new jersey are facing devastating losses from superstorm sandy. on this election day, they're actually getting extra help if they can make it to any local

polling station.

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to all your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ sighs ] thank you! [ male announcer ] you're welcome. that's the cold truth! the aftermath of hurricane sandy making it very difficult for a lot of folks to vote in new york and new jersey. those two states were hardest hit by the storm and new york governor andrew cuomo has now issued and order allowing voters in counties that are sit by the disaster to actually kaths a provisional ballot at any polling station in the state. it's also happening in new jersey as well. i want to bring in alee no cho joining us from brooklyn to explain how this is all working. >> reporter: good morning to you. we're actually at the only school in new york city that is doubling as a shelter and a polling station today. the polls have been open for about five hours or so and i can tell you we've just been inside, the lines are very long, turnout is high here. hundreds of people are inside

right now and people conducting exit polls were happy to report. turnout is high. people are casting their ballots except in those rare cases where they can't stand the wait. >> it's just a very long line, and probably going to try around 12:30 or 1:00. >> reporter: think it might be slower then? >> i don't know. if it's not, we'll wait for it then. >> reporter: how long did you wait before you gave up? >> about a minute. but it's just a very long line. and i've got time in the afternoon, but right now i don't, but i'll be back to make the wait. >> it's inspiring to see so many people up and out to vote already, and there doesn't seem to be much confusion. i guess people were afraid that after sandy people wouldn't have a priority of coming out to vote, but they're here. >> reporter: it is inspiring and that woman we spoke to actually said she came in early. she voted at about 7:30 this morning and she said the reason why she came early is because she's volunteering today in the

rockaways which is one of the hardest hit areas after the storm. now, in what was really an extraordinary 11th hour move yesterday, new york's governor andrew cuomo, as you mentioned, signed an executive order which essentially says if you're one of those people who lives in a federal disaster zone in new york, today you can cast your ballot not just in your district but any district, any polling station across new york state. it is unprecedented. it is significant. it's not a perfect solution, suzanne. the state admits that there might be some complications with some local hotly contested races, but if you were voting in a district other than your own in new york, you need to know that you will only be able to vote in the presidential race and in statewide initiatives but the bottom line, suzanne is you will be able to vote today. >> that is important. thank you, alina. we're following some of these interesting state initiatives, everything from health care to tacks.

in california voters actually might abolish the death penalty.

election day finally here. showing you what's going on as voters head to the polls across the country. we're talking about the big ballot initiatives as well. one of the most divisive issues, sn same-sex marriage. voters in minnesota are going to choose whether to add a ban on same-sex marriage to the state constitution. now, even if the constitutional ban is defeated, smetion maame- marriage will still be illegal in the state under another current law. this woman has overcome tremendous odds. former arizona representative gabrielle giffords does her part. today she casts her vote. [ ross ] we are in the dades gorge,

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so they matter most to us. if you're caring for a child with special needs, our innovative special care program offers strategies that can help. inform arizona gabrielle giffords is making her voice heard at the voting booth. the former congresswoman was with her former assistant, ron barber, when she dropped off her ballot yesterday. barber won a special election in june to replace giffords in congress. giffords is still recovering from being shot in the head outside a tucson supermarket almost two years ago. right now, the final frantic race for president as americans head to the polls and have their say. >> four more years! four more years! >> romney! romney! >> mitt romney and barack obama ending a long and close

campaign. >> do you want more of the same or do you want change? >> fighting for every vote until the bitter end. >> we know what change looks like and what he's offering ain't it. >> we're live across the country with the candidates and in the battleground states that hold the keys to the white house. >> together we can get this done. >> there's only one direction -- forward! >> this is cnn's coverage of election day in america. the fight for the presidency. the battle for congress. and the issues dividing the nation. >> i still believe in you, and if you still believe in me, i'm asking for your vote. >> i need you to go out there and find people that will come join our cause. >> it's your vote, your future, your country, your choice. i'm suzanne malveaux. it's election day and most of the polls are now open.

hawaii is the last state waiting to get in on the action. their polls open next hour. as we know, every vote counts, very important. especially with a dead heat in the presidential race. there's just one point difference in our last national poll of polls. mitt romney casting his ballot a couple hours ago in belmont, massachusetts. the voting is just the first stop for the republican challenger. he's still got campaign events to get to. romney going to be in cleveland a little later this hour, and then it's a short hop to last stop in moon township, pennsylvania, just outside of pittsburgh. president obama technically not on the road, he's home in chicago, but he did venture out to visit one of his campaign field offices. he offered some words of thanks to the volunteers and workers there, and as you can see, jumped into action on the phone bank. now this new video. the president casting his ballot. he voted 12 days ago. the president took advantage of early voting in illinois to get a jump on things. early voting was a big part of

the obama campaign message so he led by example. battlegrounds see kood. we have them all covered. here is where we have our correspondents set up. we'll hear from two, ashleigh banfield, she in florida. randy kaye in virginia. want to start off with the situation in florida. ashleigh, people waiting in line six hours for early voting last week so they didn't have to stand in long lines today. you're in miami-dade county, 32% voted early. how are the lines looking? >> reporter: i'm glad you asked. so let me just show you the end of the line. it's right here, and let me take you on a little tour, suzanne. buckle up, because this is going to be long. we go down the line, let me step out of the way so that our photographer can keep you going down the line and around the horn and back here. there are 6,000 precincts roughly in florida and this is just one of them. there are only about 26 polling booths inside the presink where i'm about to take you but not

before you get to see all the people. hold on with that thought. how long have you been waiting? >> almost two hours now. >> reporter: you're at the two-hour mark. keep coming, we have a long way to go, my dear, before i tell you a couple other things about this spot. are you a patient woman? it's been pretty good here. i have to admit. these are really patient people and we haven't had any problems here but for one argument this morning where someone was saving a spot. a couple reports of irregularities in florida. some missing ballots, optical scanners jamming. one of them jammed here but it was fixed right away according to one of the voters. you're still with me, right? still seeing this line, right? >> i'm following you. >> reporter: okay. suzanne, i'm glad because this is a marathon, i'm telling you, a lot of people have brought their chairs, their ipads, books and stuff because they know. you see the signs here. that's 100 feet from the polling station. that's where you're allowed to campaign. you see that white rope? that was the radius measured out when we got here after 4:00 this

morning. nobody like me or those campaigners can go any closer than that radius. kem coming we're nowhere near the front. how long have you been waiting? >> about three hours. >> reporter: you're three hours? >> yes. >> reporter: we're at the three-hour mark. i just talked to a woman who left a couple hours ago i was talking to her in line. she told me all told from start to finish, 3 hours 45 from the woman who just exited. we're getting to the front of the line and it's the payoff line, malveaux, because this is what you get to see when you get to the front of the line. the fire station that has its two main bay doors open with all of those individual voting private booths and then the optical scanners and then out you come. happy that you went through the process in sunny florida. we're expecting some rain showers possibly later today. i doubt that will dampen any of the enthusiasm here but really some very patient and friendly people. >> those are some patient people. that's a long investment in time but once you get in that line it's worth it to just get

through it and to be able to vote. ashleigh, thanks very much. >> reporter: do you know what's worth it? it's worth it to absentee vote which i did several weeks ago because i don't want to be in that line. >> i hear it. i did early voting myself. good to see you. want to move on to florida, another southern battleground state. virginia is probably going to be the first of critical swing states we will see results so we will keep a close eye on that. the polls close at 7:00 eastern, one rt earliest battleground states. that's where we find randi kaye. for folks who don't know the area, this is 30 miles or so from washington. what are people saying? do they feel optimistic? positive here? >> reporter: they feel excited to vote. i can tell that you. there are some long lines but the folks are inside. we're kept outside to broadcast this morning. folks were lining up here, suzanne, before dawn, about 2,600 registered voters here. they don't have easterly lir voting in virginia. they have what's called absentee/in-person voting so you need a pretty good excuse not to

be here today. this is the first time they have the new voter i.d. law. before you could sign an affidavit saying you are who you are, that doesn't work anymore. i have been talking to folks and they say they've been waiting two hours. they only have four machines inside. most of them feel it's their duty. they don't care about the long waits. here is what some of them told me. what made you bring out the whole family today? is this a lesson in election politics. >> i think it's good for the kids to see mom and dad vote. i think it's even more important to stand in line so there's a bit of a sacrifice to vote to show how important it is to know it's your responsibility and your duty to your country to vote. >> reporter: what's the most important issue to your family? >> freedom. the ability -- the health care bill is very important to me. when that bill was passed, they can now compel commerce by force, so i now have to buy a gooder service against my will or the government will punish me. so freedom for me is the biggest

issue. >> reporter: what kind of line did you find inside? >> extremely long. it was the longest i have ever seen. >> reporter: is that frustrating? >> it was about a two-hour lake. no, it wasn't frustrating because it's an important issue. >> reporter: it really is a very important to a lot of these folks. you see a lot of kids here. they all brought their families to vote and show them how important it is. >> thank you, randi. want you to weigh in on the race. cnn has partnered with facebook to create a new app called i'm voting. just go to my facebook page, facebook com/cnnsuzanne. today's question, when do you think we're going to know who won? let us know what you think. we're going to share some of your responses later in the hour. here is what we have going on this hour. a look at key congressional races. will gop's rising star beat out jim mathieson. we'll talk to both of them afterwards. >> long lines at the polls.

right now on this election day. >> every vote counts. >> a look at the candidates still in a dead heat. >> when we talk about change, we know what real change looks like because we fought for it. we've got the scars to prove it. >> president obama promised change, but he couldn't deliver it. i promise change and i have a record of achieving it. i built a business. >> is their enthusiasm drawing people to the polls? it's america's choice, and it's now. with questions from bing elections. do you know where your polling place is? maybe somewhere around my house. mine's just, right over that way. well you can find out exactly where it is using bing elections. it's a good day for politics. which way do you lean politically? conservative. republican. well, using the bing news selector you can find news from whichever way you lean. (together) social on this side, financial. which party is currently predicted to win a majority in the senate? the republicans?

would you make a bet on that? no. are you chicken? the wheels of progress. seems they haven't been moving much lately. but things are starting to turn around because of business people like you.

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with odor free aspercreme. powerful medicine relieves pain fast, with no odor. so all you notice is relief. aspercreme. the presidential campaign seemed to go on forever. billions of dollars were spent, at times rhetoric was bitter and personal. voters are deciding who is going to sit in the white house for the next four years. the president made his final pitch to voters yesterday in iowa where it all began for him nearly five years ago. romney making last-minute campaign stops today in ohio and pennsylvania. joining us to talk about their take on the possible outcomes, cnn contributor and conservative "new york times" columnist ross

dolvat and democratic strategist and cnn contributor van jones. i want you to know we might have to cut you off because the president spoke earlier today at a campaign field office. as soon as we turn that tape we will play it here. i want to start off with you, ross. why do you believe that it is so close at this point? >> well, i mean, it's an election in a year when the economy is in a very slow, grinding recovery. so it's sort betwixted and between. it's neither the booming recovery that would have given the president an easy win nor the ugly jobs picture we had a year ago. in a country that's polarized and divided, we're kind of reverts back to national poll numbers that look a lot like 2000 and 2004. we are, to some extent, a 50/50 nation absent extraordinary circumstances, and that's pretty much back where we are today. >> van, how does the president

keep together a coalition that is so diverse? because he has many different groups to answer to, unlike the republican party. he's trying to unify this group. you've got latinos. you have women, you have young voters, you have gay voters, women. how does he manage to keep that coalition together? >> well, you know, it's extraordinary, the leadership he's shown in being able to do just that. there's been a lot of talk about where he's not doing as well as he did before. look where he is doing as well and even better. he's doing a much better job even with the latino community. i think what you're going to see now, it comes down to the young people. what you have not seen yet, whether the generation that really carried him over the top is going to show up today. they came out for him 67% last time. polls now say he may be down to 58% with the young people. if the young people stay with this president, he will be re-elected and the obama coalition will be the governing coalition for a long time. it comes down to will the young

people vote today. >> ross, your op-ed piece on saturday, you wrote an obama victory would risk more years of drift, stagnation, and decline. is there a way this president, if he does win, can work with republicans who are willing to compromise? >> i think that there is some -- there are some things that can be done on the deficit picture. i think the president will actually have a fairly strong hand to play in negotiations because of the expiration of the bush tax cuts. so i would expect something modest to get done with the deficit problem. >> all right. i'm going to have to cut you short for a moment. let's listen in. the president speaking. [ applause ] >> hey!

[ applause ] [ applause ] [ cheers and applause ]

>> all right. let's get busy. we've got to line up some votes. we've got to round up some votes. how are we doing? >> we're doing well. >> you're doing good. thank you so much, everybody. you can feel free to take a picture but i'm just going to start making some calls. i don't want to distract you. i don't want to distract you. >> they gave me this phone. >> they gave you a phone? >> thank you so much for all this. >> great stuff. we all believe in you. >> this is america, democracy, this is what it's all about, right? >> all right. >> hi, is this haddie.

hi, this is barack obama. how are you? i'm doing -- you know -- i don't think she knows it's me right now. my name was barack obama, you know, the president of the united states. yeah. how are you? yeah. yeah, but, you know, can i just say you were really polite to me when you didn't know who i was. which is, you know, that's so nice. well, listen, i just wanted to call and say thank you. i know you guys are working so hard at the brown deer road office and we just got to make sure everybody gets out to vote in wisconsin.

how are you feeling about that? well, listen -- we're so proud of you and i'm so grateful for everything you're doing. so just keep it up. hopefully we'll have a good day. that means a lot to me. okay, haddie. go out there and keep working hard all the way through. all right. bye-bye. bye-bye. she was very nice to me but she didn't initially know who i was. >> you surprised her. >> she said -- i couldn't hear your name, but if you can hold on one second. >> would you like another call? >> i'm all set. don't worry about me. i'm an old pro. i used to do this when i was --

let's see, who's age? i don't see anybody young enough. >> what you're of whwatching is president at a field office and he's making unannounced phone calls congratulating supporters who don't really know the president is calling them. we listened in one of the calls to a woman named haddie. these are supporters actually in wisconsin. it was quite amusing to actually hear the phone call. she didn't realize it was the president, didn't believe him. he thanked her for being polite and then went on to talk about how important it was to continue the work that they're doing out of wisconsin. as you know, a very important battleground state. the president there in his hometown of chicago making those

calls. it's an impromptu visit. as soon as we get that the remarks that the president has made to the cameras we'll bring that to you as well. well, she is the gop's rising star and she is known for her blunt talk. >> mr. president, i'm here to tell you the american people are awake and we're not buying what you're selling in 2012. >> her thoughts on the election and her race for congress, mi a love is joining us up next. [ female announcer ] the power to become a better investor has gone mobile.

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we're looking at live pictures just coming in here. this is cleveland, ohio. this is actually mitt romney's plane, and he is going to be holding an election day rally in cleveland at the top of the hour. we're waiting for him to come off the plane, but it shows just how important ohio is, the fact that his plane has touched down and he is going to be working the crowds here.

it is really the most critical crucial battleground state in this election. what happens in ohio very much determines -- could determine who becomes president. we'll bring this live avent to you as soon as it begins. if she wins in her race in utah, mya love will become the first black female republican in the u.s. house of representatives. she is also a mormon. m mia love is joining us from salt lake city. in interviews you generally downplay the fact you could make history if you're elected to congress, but if you do win, you would be a first, you would be breaking a barrier here. does that resonate? do you feel some sort of kinship even with president obama? >> you know, i'm just worried about getting our country back on track. you know, i go around and i talk to the people of the fourth district. i talk to everyone that is struggling and people that believe our nation is not going in the right direction and

really what they're looking for is leadership. they want someone who will come to the table with some solutions and work together to fix our problems. if i can do that and make sure we get our country back on track, then that's the history i'm interested in making. >> all right. and you are a rising star clearly in the republican party. we saw you at the gop convention. you got quite a reception there. the republican party, explain to us why it is you think that it does not have more appeal for african-americans. how does your party reach out to the black community because according to the frederick douglass counseltation onfounda blacks identify with the republican party. >> to me, i think we need to get away from all of that. we've had so many people that have sacrificed to make sure we're all considered equal. you know, i want to be able to look at our president and know that he sees me as an individual. we want a president that sees us all equally as americans, and

the problems that we face today, they're not black/white issues, they're american issues -- >> it doesn't concern you that your party itself does not attract a more diverse group of people, that it is so hom mon news that you're really one of the few? >> no. i mean, i think that people are coming along and people are starting to hear about the different platforms, and we have two clear directions where we can go in this country where we've got something that starts -- a president that believes everything should start and end at a centralized government and somebody who believes in individual freedom and liberties and being able to get on your feet no matter what. what we stand for in this country is that you can come to this country with very little or you can be here and start with very little and end up doing something incredibly big. and i think that that message is starting to resonate not just to one demographic but to all americans and i think that if we continue to talk about the issues, that's going to attract

more americans regardless of race, gender, or any of the other things that people would like to divide us by. >> during the primaries there was a lot of concern about whether or not mitt romney's mormon faith would work against him but you have now christian evangelicals rallying around him. his faith has not been that much of an issue during this campaign. do you think in some ways that you benefit from that, that you are going to have people out there who are voting for mitt romney in utah and will help you as well as a mormon? >> i think that people will realize and they have realized mitt romney has supported us and supported me because of the policies that i have put in my city, and that's why they're going to be able to see that i'm the one that's going to be able to help him get our country back on track. i have always been very clear about where i stood in my support for mitt romney and believe he's the best presidential candidate that can get us to where we need to be and get our country back on track, and i think that that's the reason why people are going

to help tie the two of us together. >> if mitt romney wins, what would you say to him? how would you actually counsel him to work with democrats? how does he get through? he talks about bipartisanship. how does he actually manage to make something like that happen in such a broken government, in a broken system today? >> well, i can tell you i certainly hope that he does win, and what i want to tell him is that, you know, as a mayor we don't walk around with rs and ds on our foreheads. we run nonpartisan. what we need is we need people who are going to come to the table and work together and i think anybody who comes here with an idea, he's going to listen to them, and that's how we're going to get things done. >> all right, mayor mia love, good to have you on. we really appreciate it. we're going to get back, president obama speaking earlier today. let's listen in. >> -- all the debates and all

the electioneering. it comes down to this, one day, and these incredible folks who are working so hard, making phone calls, making sure that people go out to vote, and so i just want to say thank you to the american people. it's a source of great optimism for me whenever i come to election day because i end up having so much confidence in the decency and goodness and wisdom of worried folks who are working so hard trying to move their own small piece of this country forward, and i also want to say to governor romney, congratulations on a spirited campaign. i know that his supporters are just as engaged and just as enthusiastic and working just as hard today. we feel confident we've got the votes to win, but it's going to depend ultimately on whether those votes turn out and so i would encourage everybody on all sides just to make sure that you

exercise this precious right we have and that people fought so hard for us to have, and i'm looking forward to the results, and i expect that we'll have a good night, but no matter what happens i just want to say how much i appreciate everybody who supported me, everybody who has worked so hard on my behalf, and, again, i want to congratulate governor romney and his team for a hard-fought race as well. okay. [ applause ] >> president obama there making last-minute stop there in chicago congratulating, thanking mitt romney for a hard fight ahead saying that he is confident that he has the support and he has the votes today. so we will see how that all shakes out. we are also waiting as well, mitt romney's just arriving in cleveland, ohio. that is where he's going to be campaigning. he is still campaigning, still on the road trying to win over some votes. we're going to have more after the break. you know, one job or the other.

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campaigning.

we're getting new tape in here, tv personality and host ryan seacrest interviewed the president yesterday. he's now airing this on his radio show this morning. let's listen in. >> well, look, i think anybody who is running for office would be lying if they say that there's not some butterflies before the polls come in because anything can happen. that's the magic of democracy is that it's up to the people to decide. but at a certain point you get calm because you know if you've done everything you can do, then the process is working the way it's supposed to, which is power now resides with individual voters. >> president obama speaking out. that was just yesterday, that tape airing today. forget fancy graphics, virtual reality when it comes to foting, the people of dixville notch,

new hampshire, they have this thing down. they do it the right way. ten people, just ten, cast their ballots in one of the traditional first votes of the presidential election. one by one making their choices. in the end it was no decision. it was a tie, five to five. hearts, it harts, there, president obama scored 23 of the votes, mitt romney got 9. gary johnson got 1. cnn is covering the election all day. be sure to watch our special coverage beginning at 6:00 p.m. eastern. presidential race isn't the only one to watch. in utah voters could make history. if elected to congress mia love would be first african-american mormon female republican in the house. this man, of course, he is standing in her way. he's six-term democratic congressman jim matheson, and he will join us up next. if you are one of the millions of men who have used androgel 1%, there's big news.

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earlier we talked with a utah congressional candidate who could make history if she wins, but one man stands in the way of mia love becoming first black republican woman in congress. that's jim matheson. he joins us from salt lake city. congressman, very good to see you here. obviously, your opponent has gotten a lot of attention because she could make history here. do you think your campaign has been overshadowed by that possibility? >> listen, i think that ultimately all the national attention doesn't really matter about here in utah. this is where the election gets decided. in utah people know me real well. i have a pretty long family history in this state and people know me well, and ultimately i think they care about the issues we talk about. that's what's going on on the ground here. >> congressman, you were the lone democrat in the utah delegation. how do you think you've been able to actually survive in such a conservative environment?

>> well, at the end of the day what people appreciate about me is that i'm really not about party. i'm about just trying to do the right thing. i think most people in utah are tired of all the partisanship and the bickering. what they though about me is that's not who i am. they know i'm a guy that works with anybody regardless of where they come from. i put good ideas above party, politics, personal ambition. that's what they're looking for. so the approach that i have followed for all my time in office i think in the year 2012 it matters that much more. >> it is a very pragmatic approach. as a member of a blue dog coalition, fiscally conservative democrat, but you are really a rare breed. there are not a lot of moderates and democrats and republicans that are coming together in congress in this sense. how do you change that? how do you actually work across the aisle because you've got this so-called fiscal cliff that is going to happen, potentially happen with all the spending cuts and tax increases within

weeks. >> look, first of all, the extreme elements of both parties are a problem. there's no question about it. there are too many people on the extremes of both sides. if we're ever going to get something done, you have to draw some common ground, be constructive. that's what america wants. that's why most people in america are registering as independen independents. that gives me confidence and there's a core group in congress of democrats and republicans that have the same attitude about trying to get something done. i know it's better to be an extremist, better to be on the cable channels if you scream from an extreme standpoint, but for the more pragmatic approach, that might not be as exciting as tv but that's how you make good policy. >> we prefer to talk to moderates as well. we don't need all that screaming here. are there enough of you to come together and make a difference here? because we have not seen that. we have not seen that the independent moderate elements of either party survive, particularly the republicans who

have left essentially when you talk about maine and olympia snowe and all these others who -- they put their hands in the air and say forget it. >> yeah. you are absolutely right. the number of moderate republicans and democrats has decreased over the last three elections. we have to turn that around. that's what america wants. ultimately i think the political system will respond to that. we need more people who want to be constructive to get something done. that's why i'm confident about this election. we do not need another person in the utah he will gation that will go back and just walk the party line. that's not how you get things done. >> finally, do you think with mitt romney being a mormon on the ticket in utah, do you think that's going to be an advantage to your opponent or does it really matter? >> oh, i think it's going to create a certain level of excitement but let me tell you something. when you run as a democrat in utah, the republican presidential candidate always runs up a big percentage. i'm used to that, i have dealt with this before. what i appreciate about utah voters is they really do have an independent streak where they take a look at each race on its own merits with the candidates

in that part of the ballot and we will cross over and vote for me. i wouldn't be a member of congress but for that 235k9. that's what gives me confident today. >> congressman matheson thank you so much. appreciate your time and we'll be checking back in. if mitt romney wins the battle for the white house, he will become the first mormon president of the united states. it's just one of the many possible firsts in this election. hawaii shovoters could send the first asian woman to the u.s. senate, masie hironos. gay americans could be given the right to marry. same-sex marriage has been legalized in six states but always by legislative action or court order. do these issues have you going to the polls?

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gay americans could be given the voters are casting ballots for who they want to lead and they're weighing in on big issues as well. voters in arkansas, massachusetts, and montana are going to decide whether to legalize marijuana for medical use. 17 states already allow it. now, in oregon, washington, and colorado voters will decide whether to legalize recreational use of marijuana. four states, alabama, florida, wyoming, and montana, they're going to vote on a key requirement of the president's health care law. that is the individual mandate, very controversial. it requires people to purchase health insurance. the republican-backed ballot measures would violate the affordable care act and would likely end up in court if they're actually passed. cnn is covering the election all day long but be sure to watch our special coverage. that begins at 6:00 p.m. eastern. and, of course, the magic number

tonight, 270. that's the number needed to win the electoral vote. your vote counts. one colorado man says it is all about the economy. >> this is a great middle class community, and that's what's been hurting the most, and we need to get back to community again. we need to bring people together on both sides of the party. people that will work together. that's what this country is about.

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we have seen the candidates crisscrossing the nation, paying close attention to the battleground states, such as ohio and florida. those stated hold a lot of electoral votes. chief national correspondent john king shows us what it's going to take to get the magic number, 270. >> suzanne, we let the people vote on lex day. one thing we know, the math will not look like this. president obama will not win a convincing victory as he did four years ago because it's a close race. some states likely to go to governor romney this time. who can get to 270? who has the easiest path? 270 electoral college votes it takes to win. the president starts date with 237. strong or leaning obama. those are blue states. governor romney, 206, red states and pink states leaning his way. the president has an easier path and he can get there if he does this. if the president can win the last three stops, iowa, wisconsin, and ohio, just those three, puts the president over the top. let's take ohio back, though for

the sake of argument. romney campaign says it's a close one. one battleground state the obama team is confident nevada. they don't get much pushback from the romney campaign. nevada seems to be leaning democratic. if the president got that, iowa, and wisconsin it would put him at 259. now we get into the dicey area. obama campaign says it's confident it might win them all. say for the sake of argument, and the obama campaign says if he have a weak link, it's florida. romney campaign says it can win florida. virginia another one to watch closely. suburbs are key. let's for the sake of argument say romney can eke out a narrow victo victory. 259, 248. what's left on the map? colorado. this one obama campaign says early voting leaves them confident. for the sake of argument, give that to governor romney. 259, 257. tiny new hampshire and ohio would decide the election. it wouldn't matter who won this

one. who won the state of new hampshire you need ohio and its 18 electoral votes. in this election day and night, we'll be watching the bellwether state of ohio. it's been right since 1964. whoever gets that one tends to win the white house. >> cnn covering the election all day long. watch our special coverage beginning at 6:00 p.m. eastern. the clock is ticking time to vote. we have teamed up with facebook to ask when you think we will know who won tonight, tomorrow, check out my page. to vote facebook.com/suzan facebook.com/suzannemalveaux. when you have diabetes...

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well you can find out exactly where it is using bing elections. it's a good day for politics. which way do you lean politically? conservative. republican. well, using the bing news selector you can find news from whichever way you lean. (together) social on this side, financial. which party is currently predicted to win a majority in the senate? the republicans? would you make a bet on that? no. are you chicken? try running four.ning a restaurant is hard,

fortunately we've got ink. it gives us 5x the rewards on our internet, phone charges and cable, plus at office supply stores. rewards we put right back into our business. this is the only thing we've ever wanted to do and ink helps us do it. make your mark with ink from chase. in new york and new jersey, dozens of polling stations are closed after the states were hammered by superstorm sandy. new york governor andrew cuomo signed an order allowing anyone in a disaster area to vote at other polling stations. there's been confusion, however,

that's because people may not be able to vote for their local candidates when they go to the presingers outside their area. and of course the long lines. >> it's just a very long line. probably try around 12:30 or 1:00. >> reporter: might be slower then? >> i don't know. if it's not we'll wait for it then. >> reporter: how long did you wait before you gave up? >> about a minute. it's just a very long line. and i've got time in the afternoon. so right now i don't. but i'll be back to make the wait. >> inspiring. you see so many people up and out to vote and there doesn't seem to be much confusion. i guess people were afraid after sandy people wouldn't have a priority of coming out to vote. but they're here. >> new jersey finding ways to get ballots to people displaced by the storm. so earlier we asked you, when do you think you'll know who won the presidency? cnn partnered with facebook with

a new app, i'm voting. majority 52% say before bedtime tuesday. 36% say by wednesday morning. 13% of you said after that. well, a lot of you optimistic there. it's not meant to be a reflection of everybody's feelings there, but how you stack up against other cnn and facebook users. what you had to say about it. david writes, because of sandy the final result may be delayed several day. gabby says i can bet if president obama is not declared winner by 8:00 eastern, we should start bracing up for rerun of florida 2000, that's my take. thanks for clicking on the i'm voting app. head to the polls. "cnn newsroom" continues now with brooke baldwin and joe johns. >> right now, voters at polls and america at a crossroads. >> this is a big election. >> i know we've been through tough times. >> barack obama and mitt romney have been working toward this moment for months.